Oba’s Carnival 2016: Tradition, Fun, Music And Hope
By Okeowo Oladapo
The 17th edition of the Obanikoro annual end-of-year carnival tagged Oba’s Carnival took place on Monday 26 December, 2016 with a lot of fanfare.
In line with our promise to bring you news both local and international, we covered this event that is a celebration of life and an avenue for residents to let loose and also catch up with those who call this place home but have been taken away by work, marriage and other things.
The event did not kick off immediately but music was already blaring from strategically-placed speakers. The street was slowly filling up with people of different ages and orientations.
The ladies did dress to the nines and looked eye-catching. Hunger was not to be allowed as there were multiple food stands, grilled chicken, beef, peppered ponmo, fish and of course, beverages. Security was not disregarded as members of the Nigerian Police Force were present to keep the peace.
The show kicked off proper a few hours before midnight with the compere starting off by calling local acts to the stage to strut their stuff.
The songs were not MAMAs level but most of the acts showed promise that would, with dedication and a bit of luck, take them to the awards.
We hooked up with the Secretary of the Obanikoro Youth Association, Isreal Otenaike, to ask questions about the event and its significance.
According to him, Oba’s Carnival is very much looked forward to. He, however, noted that this year’s event was hard to put together due to the recession in the country. This did not deter them, though, as tradition must be kept alive.
“ I believe every community should have a festivity and place where they can come together, and also create an avenue for talents, advertise businesses in the community and foster unity,” he said.
We also met with the Baale of the Obanikoro community who assented to our request to interview him but asked that it be done in his palace.
The Oba’s Carnival started in 1999 and has since been a mainstay in the social calendar of Obanikoro and its bordering communities. It is a homecoming, music, leisure, food, get-together party all rolled into one.
